5 Root Cause Analysis Methods of Which You’ve Never Heard

There are a ton of Root Cause Analysis methods out there, and new ones are popping up all the time. This post dives into some of the lesser known methods of RCA such as Kepner-Tregoe, Barrier Analysis, and Events and Causal Factor Analysis. Perhaps this will help stock your arsenal so that you have more powerful tools to crack bigger problems.

This is a more methodical approach that combines the best of RCA and change management to ensure that not only the problem is clearly identified, but the best solutions are also developed to address them.

There are four basic steps for using the Kepner Tregoe decision matrix:

Situation appraisal – the process of clarifying the situation, outlining concerns and choosing a direction

Root cause analysis is a great tool for developing a better understanding of why problems might be occurring in any process-oriented operation. RCA is a cornerstone of Continuous Improvement as it enables more effective solutions to be developed. As with any root cause, there may be several problems resulting from the same root. Therefore, fixing one root cause can produce a multitude of benefits for your operation.

As with any RCA, the root causes are just hypothesis that need to be proven (or dis-proven) through testing and experimentation. This means that a clear plan of action should flow from the RCA activity. The RCA does not improve a process. Making changes and observing what happens is where the real improvement occurs. And if you’re not seeing the result you’re looking for, you need to further your RCA, form new hypothesis, and continue to experiment until you get the right result. RCA coupled with deliberate action accelerates the learning process and produces powerful results in the meantime.

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Published by calvinlwilliams

Calvin L Williams, MBA, BSIE is an experienced Executive Lean Coach, International Speaker, and CEO of Impruver Technologies, INC. He has led over $3B in cost savings throughout his 20 year career as a Continuous Improvement and Operations Leader with several Fortune 100 CPG companies.
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